October Vegetable Planting Guide- Southern California :)
02 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Cooking, Garden Projects, Living Healthy, organic gardening, vegetable garden, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: nadia's san diego garden blog, October planting Guide, organic gardening
It’s time to plant a Fall Garden!
I’ve planted several tomato plants that are supposed to produce in the early winter months, several heirloom carrots, radishes and peas together in my raised planter bed. I was excited to find a tomato hybrid called “San Francisco Fog’ which grows well in the morning fog and cloudy conditions.
San Francisco Fog Hybrid Tomato
Radishes are always very rewarding because they grow so quickly. I especially like these “Rainbow Radishes” from Renee’s Seeds for the beautiful color variety.
Rainbow Radish after one week.
Rainbow Radish Harvested
Carrots are always a winner in the garden with so many types to choose from. Pouring very hot water over the seeds and covering them with seed starter soil will help them to germinate and grow faster.
Heirloom Carrots grow year round in my garden
Here is a list of some easy to grow vegetables to plant this month in ground, raised or planter style gardens. Fall can be a favorite time to garden with the temperatures still warm enough to grow a variety of vegetables, but not too hot to enjoy tending a garden.
OCTOBER PLANTING GUIDE:
BEETS- Home grown are always best when it comes to flavor. The leaves from beets are an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and have higher iron than spinach.
BROCCOLI- Check out this recipe for Cream of Broccoli soup!
CABBAGE- Try these open pollinated heirloom seeds from Victory Seeds.
CARROTS- Seed Tape is a great way to plant carrots… easy and simple. Carrots come in many shapes and colors, try them all.
COLLARDS- A must if you are from the south.
LETTUCE- Lettuce can be grown all year long, but grows the best in the cooler weather.
FAVAS – KALE – LEEKS – PARSLEY
RADISH- Try out Rainbow Radishes from Renee’s Seeds.
Spinach in the garden from Renee's Seeds
SPINACH- SWISS CHARD -WINTER ZUCCHINI
Growing Lettuce
Garden Gone Wild
13 Aug 2010 3 Comments
in Flowers, Garden Design, Garden Fruits, Garden Projects, Living Healthy, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: Block Style Gardens, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening, Square Foot Garden, summer garden, sunflower, Vertical Garden
*Garden gone wild and Sunflower Mania best describe my garden this summer. The perfectly organized garden plans I had sketched out in March are long gone from neat rows of lettuce and carrot to overgrown tomato plants that are now needing to be cut back and supported by twine. As the summer months passed I found myself squeezing more seeds into any empty soil space I could find with the result being an overgrown abundance of vegetables, flowers, fruits and herbs. The concept of Wide Row Planting was my goal, a garden design of planting 2 to 4 rows of vegetables side by side very close together. Whether you like your garden style inch by inch and row by row, or jungle style there really is no right or wrong, but simply unique and individual preferences. This summer I experimented with Heirloom sunflowers, tomatoes, carrots and newly planted pumpkins are on their way. Also squash, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, cucumbers, lots of herbs, etc.
My tomatoes are just now turning red due to the very cloudy summer in San Diego this year. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego has experienced the coldest July since 1933. My tomatoes can attest to that!
Here are some links to garden styles and finding the right design for your lifestyle and yard space.
* See Block Style Layout of Raised Planters with Colorado Master Gardeners Designs.
* Cottage Style Gardening: Informal and abundant planting style. A country look that fits into a small garden area. Front yard Cottage Garden Plan.
* Square Foot Gardening: Creating gardens in individual boxed raised planters. How to create a Square Foot Garden.
Vertical Gardening: Creating vertical supports to grow more vegetables and herbs in vertical spaces.
Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com
Creating – Growing – Staying Inspired
Squash Varieties-White-Yellow-Green
Heirloom Carriage Pumpkins on the way...
Tomato plant
too many tomato plants per square inch!
Heirloom Sunflowers 7 feet tall
Chihuahuas in the Garden:Plus Favorite Vegetables for 4 Legged Friends!
08 Aug 2010 5 Comments
in chihuahua, Flowers, Living Healthy, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: Garden Chihuahuas, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening, pets and vegetables
Gardening for your pets and providing vegetables for their diet promotes intestinal health (added fiber) and antioxidants. Here are a few favorites for your 4 legged friends: carrots, green beans, cabbage, spinach, parsley, apples, cucumber, kale, bananas, squash and leafy greens. It also seems that the raw carrots help keep canine teeth cleaner. Adding vegetables as a part of their regular diet can also help significantly with weight control. After doing a little bit of internet research on this subject I found that there is also a list of toxic vegetables that should NOT be fed to your furry friends: onion, garlic, tomato greens, grapes, raisins, and rhubarb leaves. Let’s keep our pets healthier and let them also enjoy the wonderful benefits of organic gardening! Woof – Woof~
Thank you for visiting my garden blog today: www.nadiaknows.com….
Create – Grow – Be Inspired
Chula and her carrot
Chula lounging on the garden wall
Chula lounging on the garden wall
Chula and the pumpkins
Bella in the tomato plants
Chula and Bella 'Garden Chihuahuas'
Hula Hoops Go Green!
19 Jun 2010 6 Comments
in Garden Design, Garden Projects, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: hula hoop uses, keeping birds away, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening
I received an email photo from a very creative gardener this week and I had to share it on my blog. She cut hula-hoops in half and used them with bird netting to protect her newly planted garden from birds. This is much nicer looking than plain white tubing and hula hoops seem to be a perfect size for raised beds. Very creative and I wish I could take the credit, but thank you for sharing the photo and a wonderful garden idea! The bird netting keeps out the critters yet allows the newly planted seeds plenty of air circulation and room to grow. Using twisty-ties is an easy way to keep the bird netting in place. Adorable and functional. A hip summer twist on the garden plot.
SUNFLOWERS & GIVING GARDENS
01 Jun 2010 3 Comments
in Flowers, Garden Design, Garden Projects, Living Healthy Tags: nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening, sunflower
Gift on my doorstep: sunflowers and wine
Sunflower "expressing its perfect self"
A few months ago a friend surprised me with a bottle of wine and some sunflower starter plants on my doorstep and this weekend I got my first bloom.
The garden that keeps on giving is a great concept, one that I encourage and believe brings community closer together. The love of growing your own flowers and edibles are an amazing way to bring more beauty into your life and sharing them multiplies it 100 times over.
Here are a few links of amazing groups of people across the country volunteering to bring the Giving Garden concept to a whole new level.
* ”The Giving Garden” blog: where volunteers work to grow food for others.
* The Giving Garden: Productive community garden.
* San Diego based school garden education: WBC: Teaching farming, gardening and healthy eating to the young.
* Solid Ground: Building community to end poverty.
With summer right around the corner this is a great time to look into volunteering with garden organizations and at the same time increase awareness of community needs. There are so many gardening tips and sage advice that can be picked up when hanging out with other gardeners.
Thank you for visiting today: www.nadiaknows.com
Grow – Create – Give
Blueberries
16 May 2010 7 Comments
in Garden Design, Garden Fruits, Living Healthy, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: blueberries in containers, Growing blueberries, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening, WIne barrel containers
Blueberries have specific requirements for a successful harvest and following just a few simple steps can make blueberry gardening very rewarding. 
1. Blueberries need acidic soil of 4.5-5.0 meaning a low pH. Purchasing Azalea Mix/Soil is the perfect blend for growing blueberries. Acidic soil is crucial for fruit production.
2. Buy more than one variety because blueberries need to be cross pollinated. Make it simple by placing several different varieties in one container.
3. Deep water once per week in the dry season, otherwise keep evenly moist.
4. Choose varieties that grow well in Southern California with low chilling requirements: Southern Highbush, Sunshine Blue and Misty Blue are several examples that will work well. These are low growers and make a great ornamental shrub.
5. Place a nice thick layer of mulch on the top soil. I use the Mulch Block made up of coconut husks.
6. Six plus hours of sun per day unless they are in a very hot and sunny area, if the leaves start to burn at the tips move it to an area that gets partial shade. 
I used two halved wine barrels for the containers and drilled holes at the bottom for good drainage. One barrel contains three bushes and the other one across the garden path has a large single bush. It’s almost mid-May and the bushes are already producing super sweet and plump berries. I tried blueberries several years ago and was not aware of the acidic soil requirements and as a results it was a failure. I was also not aware of choosing more than one variety for cross-pollination. This year following the above steps is turning out to be much more successful.
Blueberries are considered an antioxidant/super foods - this might just be the quintessential plant to get into the garden this year!
Thank you for your visit- has your garden inspired you today?
www.nadiaknows.com
Lucky Ladybugs
12 May 2010 5 Comments
in Flowers, Garden Projects, Living Healthy, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: ladybugs, nadia san diego garden blog, organic flower gardening, organic gardening, organic pesticide
Ladybug Ladybug fly away home... remember that nursery rhyme? Ladybugs are synonymous with good luck and growing up I would be elated if one landed on my shoulder so I could make a wish before it flew away. This is my first year growing roses after a 10 years hiatus, living near the coast with the wet and lingering morning fog has always made growing roses very difficult. In April at the onset of blooming I noticed my rose bushes were covered with aphids and no ants in sight (usually ants are a sign of an aphid problem). Before giving the rose bushes away out of frustration I decided to purchase one of those containers of ladybugs that are always at the checkout stand of local nurseries with hundreds of ladybugs peering through the screened lid. The employee at the nursery gave me some good tips for a successful ladybug release.
Ladybugs
Placing ladybugs out in the evening and misting the area first to moisten their environment keeps them from flying away. Another trick I learned was that by placing the ladybugs in the refrigerator for 15 minutes prior to releasing them keeps them from flying away too quickly. I followed all these directions and the next morning the ladybugs were busy doing what they do best getting rid of pests. It has been three weeks since I tried out this little experiment and there are still NO APHIDS in sight. My rose bushes are squeaky clean and beautiful. I am now a true believer and a ladybug convert, spending the $8.00 on a container of a few hundred ladybugs was well worth it. Many of them have stayed in my garden and moved on to other plants.
The best part – it’s all organic. No pesticides, no chemicals, no sprays. Organic gardening keeps the good bugs happily living in the garden while getting rid of the unwanted pests.
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* Lady bug, lady bird, lady beetle are all common names for the ladybug.
* Voracious pest eaters-a favorite of farmers.
* Most all cultures consider the lady bug to be good luck.
* online site to purchase ladybugs… Or get them at Armstrong Nursery.
Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com
♥ Plant- Grow- Enjoy ♥
Windmill Tomato Cage
03 May 2010 5 Comments
in Garden Design, Garden Projects, Uncategorized, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: garden whimsy, nadia's san diego garden blog, organic gardening, Recycle and Renew, tomato cage
♥ All of us green thumb enthusiasts were no doubt out in the garden this weekend with plans and hoes and seeds playing in the soil. The sun was shining and the night-time temperatures are warming up here in San Diego. In one of my raised planters are tomatoes, peas, carrots, radish, pepper and sweet pea flowers. Each year I use wire tomato cages for support, but this year I wanted to find a tomato cage that was a little funky and unique. After looking through catalogues and photos online I got discouraged with how expensive the really cool tomato cages cost, so I decided to spray paint a metal mini-decorative windmill that has been on my hillside for the past 10 years. For under $4.00 a can of bright red paint was sufficient enough to resurrect a rusted out garden fixture that was getting no attention. I dug it right into the raised bed to support two of the determinate tomato plants. It definitely gave it the unique look I was pining for and will provide a solid structural support as the tomatoes reach full growth.
* Determinate vs. Indeterminate tomato plants: There is a difference between determinate and Indeterminate tomato plants. The determinate tomatoes are an all at once crop bearer and for the most part are a more manageable and compact sized plant.This is a great tomato plant if you plan to do canning and need a batch of tomatoes for a lot of tomato sauce, etc. Indeterminate Tomatoes will bear fruit throughout the growing season, great for picking and eating all summer long.
♥ Happy Gardening ♥
someone surprised me with a garden toy- gave me a good laugh- thank you!
Windmill Tomato Cage- Recycle and Renew
BUY LOCAL- BUY FRESH
04 Jan 2010 15 Comments
in Books, Garden Fruits, Living Healthy, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: Barbara Kingsolver, buy fresh, buy in season produce, buy local, farmer's market, organic gardening, seasonal fruit
Eating In Season Fruits
BUY LOCAL – BUY FRESH – BUY LOCAL – BUY FRESH
Buying fresh, local and in-season fruits and vegetables has become one of my more recent goals. Last month I read Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Good Life, which described aspects of farming in America and how produce is transported from the fields, then to the grocer, and finally to our dinner tables. This book along with other sources inspired me to make buying local one of my New Year’s Resolutions. Although some book reviews described Animal, Vegetable, Miracle as sounding “preachy”, it seemed to me that it was more of a goldmine of information on a subject that is not often on the evening news or the cover of magazines.
These reprinted excerpts from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle are specific quotes on this issue of “why buy local?”. Read the entire book for more and other very in-depth information on organic gardening, sustainable gardens, recipes from the garden, commercial poultry factories, etc., etc. You will most likely learn more than you wanted to know, or as it was in my case, I was quite surprised at how much I knew nothing about.
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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle : A Year of Good Life : “Quotes” by Barbara Kingsolver
- “Eating home-cooked meals from whole, in-season ingredients obtained from the most local source available is eating well, in every sense. Good for the habitat, good for the body.”
- “Waiting for foods to come into season means tasting them when they’re good, but waiting is also part of most value equations.”
- “Find your nearest farmer’s markets and local producers on the USDA Web site:
www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets
www.csacenter.org.”
- “Most standard vegetable varieties sold in stores have been bred for uniform appearance, mechanized harvest, convenience of packaging and tolerance for hard travel. None of these can be mistaken, in practice, for actual flavor.”
- “Transporting fragile produce dates back to the early twentieth century when a few entrepreneurs tried shipping lettuce and artichokes, iced down in boxcars, from California eastward over the mountains as a midwinter novelty….in just a few decades the out-of-season vegetable moved from the novelty status to such an ordinary item, most North Americans now don’t know what Out-Of-Season means.”
- “Concentrating on local foods means thinking of fruit invariably as the product of an orchard, and a winter squash as a fruit of an early winter farm. It’s a strategy that will keep grocery money in the neighborhood, where it gets recycled into your own school system and local businesses… it’s a win-win strategy for anyone with taste buds. “
- “Organic gardening nurtures and sustains the soil vs. depleting it with pesticides and herbicides.”
- “Locally grown is a denomination whose meaning is incorruptible. Sparing the transportation fuel, packaging, and unhealthy additives is a compelling part of the story.”
- “The increased availability of local food in any area is a direct function of the demand from local consumers… First: in grocery stores, when the cashier asks if you found everything you were looking for, you could say, “Not really, I was looking for local produce.” The smaller the store, the more open a grocer may be to your request.”
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On December 22nd I went to my local grocer and in the produce section picked up a cellophane “microwave-able” bag of green beans from (how many states away?) Ohio. I asked the produce manager standing nearby if he had any “local” green beans available. He advised me to come back on the 24th for a new shipment of fresh green beans saying: “green beans need to be fresh for the holidays and you don’t want them to be more than a few days old”. I asked him why they had this substandard microwave-able brand from Ohio if they could also provide local and fresh green beans? He replied, “people just want it fast and easy.”
I waited and bought the local fresh beans a few days later and they were worth it.
* Link to another garden blog I just discovered: 1greengeneration that supports local community building and organic gardening.
Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com Creating-Growing-Learning
The White House Garden vs. Nadia’s Garden
24 Nov 2009 5 Comments
in Garden Design, Vegetable/ Herb Garden Tags: Michelle Obama garden, organic gardening, The White House Garden Blog, White House Garden Design
Today, I was curious about the White House Vegetable and Herb garden and wondered what is growing there, so I did an internet search to get some information. What I found was the planting sketch from March 2009, the beginning design. It’s quite impressive in variety and size, even with companion planting evident throughout the gardens. I’m feeling a little ambitious, and possibly a bit competitive, to keep up with the Obamas now that they have taken up my favorite pastime. This is Michelle Obama’s first vegetable garden and it’s no surprise that it was designed to be completely organic. Maybe we will see a photo of her donning gardening gloves and pulling up weeds like the rest of us.
I took a tally of all the plants from the White House Garden Map along with calculating what is now growing in my garden. I have to admit that I got a surge of inspiration to add radishes, marigold and onion to my garden this month which I had not thought of until looking at the “South Lawn” map. Although the White House Gardens will be showing off their rhubarb, shell peas, chard, kale and collards, these veggies didn’t inspire me enough to want to plant them in mine. My garden herbs are missing marjoram, chamomile and hyssops in comparison to the The White House garden. This brings us to a total plant variety count of minus – 8 for Nadia. If I take into consideration the plants I have in my garden that the First Lady does not have in hers such as lavender, strawberries, and bok-choy, then it brings the variety count down to minus -5!
So, there we have it : Nadia vs. The White House Gardens.
Nadia with much fewer plants because of space differences, but in terms of plant variety it ends up being a close race. Maybe if I count my fig, lemon, orange and apple trees we could call it a tie.
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Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com Creating- Growing- Having Fun
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